1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a cleaning system and, more particularly, to a self-cleaning wiper blade system for vehicles.
2. Prior Art
Virtually all vehicles today (cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, boats etc) incorporate one or more windshield wipers which can be activated at any time by a driver to sweep repeatedly across an exterior surface of the windshield. A rubber or plastic wiper blade of each wiper assembly engages the exterior surface to clear debris from that portion of the windshield generally in front of the driver to maintain unimpaired visibility. Debris left to build up on the windshield impairs visibility for the driver and if permitted to build up anywhere on the wiper assembly can also reduce wiping efficiency. Maintaining good visibility for the driver lessens the likelihood of the vehicle becoming involved in an accident and hence increases the safety level for all occupants.
A problem frequently encountered by motorist is the collection of sleet, ice, or snow on a wiper blade. As long as the frozen mass remains merely trapped, the efficiency of the wiper blade is severely reduced as a significant portion or all of the wiper blade can no longer engage the exterior surface of the windshield. The thickness of this frozen mass may have a bearing on the wiping efficiency especially if the mass extends along a significant length of the blade. Ice lumps as small as one millimeter if so trapped can cause the wiper to experience reduced efficiency. Snow and/or ice formation anywhere on the windshield wiper assembly may contribute to reducing wiping efficiency also by raising sections of the blade off the windshield.
Numerous windshield wiper cleaning devices have been provided in prior art. Usually, the removal of sleet, ice, or snow requires the driver to stop and knock thereof off the wiper blade by hand. Some big semi-truck drivers will have to pull out a ladder and climb on the hood to clean the wiper blades. Some drivers will try to knock-off the sleet, ice, or snow while driving and other drivers will tolerate an obstructed windshield; either scenario creates a driving hazard.
Accordingly, a need remains for a self-cleaning wiper blade system for vehicles in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a cleaning system that is easy to use, easily installed, convenient for use and increases driver safety. Such a cleaning system prevents repetitive stopping during travel to clean the vehicle's wiper blades, thus saving time and effort and resulting in shorter and safer travels. The cleaning system advantageously enables a driver to maintain focus on the road and concentrate on traffic flow while also providing optimum visibility to the driver. Advantageously, the system can be adapted to a variety of vehicles, thus providing safety to more people.